Combs Waterkotte Scholarship

The Prompt and Submission Requirements
A 500-1,000 word essay about “Guilty Until Proven Innocent”

Reflect on a time when someone assumed you were guilty or accused you of wrongdoing without knowing all the facts. Describe the situation, the assumptions made about you, and how you responded to the accusations. Discuss the impact of this experience on your understanding of justice and fairness. Share the lessons you took away from the experience and how it influenced your views on the presumption of innocence and the value of being fairly heard. Provide a personal and thoughtful perspective.

For your essay, please:

include your full name and an essay title
write between 500 – 1,000 words (longer does not always mean better!)
attach it as a PDF, txt, doc, or docx file
send it in by Sunday, September 8
One winner will be selected based on a quality essay and adherence to the submission rules and requirements. The winning essay will utilize correct grammar and spelling, meet the submission deadline, demonstrate strong writing skills and approach the prompt from a unique and personal perspective. You may follow any accepted style (AP, MLA, Chicago or other) of your choosing.

Scholarship Eligibility
To be considered for the Combs Waterkotte 2024 scholarship, please send the following to combswaterkottescholarship@gmail.com by September 8, 2024 at 11:59 pm Central Time:

a college transcript (unofficial is okay) or enrollment letter
your essay
your contact information
your student number
your school’s financial aid office information, including address and phone number
a resume or short bio
We welcome and encourage non-traditional and underrepresented students. Because the award will be sent directly to the winner’s school, we require a transcript or enrollment verification to ensure the selected winner is eligible to receive funds to their student account. Current high school students or adults planning to attend or return to college or a trade school but are not yet enrolled, please check back with us after you can verify your enrollment. There will be additional opportunities!

Award Details
The winner will be selected and contacted via email on September 12, 2024. Two attempts to contact the winner will be made. If Combs Waterkotte is unable to reach the selected winner with the provided contact information or we do not receive confirmation from the selected winner within 7 days, the runner-up will be selected as the winner.

Awards will be sent directly to the school.

We wish you luck and look forward to reading your essay!